Pie and Possibility

Inviting Others into a Vision of What Could Be

I received a phone call from my wife, and she shared one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time. A friend of ours, who used to live in our town but now lives in St. Louis, had recently asked her husband what he would like as a Christmas gift. Without hesitation, he replied, “A Jenny Andress pie.”

Classic.

There’s no question—my wife makes the best pies in the world. If you didn’t know, she is a Bartholomew County 4H Fair Grand Champion for her cherry pie. But on the scale of “odd Christmas gifts,” his answer was a solid ten out of ten. To make this request even more peculiar, my friend has never had a “Jenny Andress pie” in his life! When his wife asked why he wanted one despite never having tasted it, he explained, “Because Brandon always talks about how life-changing her pies are, and I want to experience it for myself.”

Think about that.

By sharing my own life-changing experience, I unknowingly sparked a longing in someone else to share that same joy.

Reflecting on the last three years of these weekly writings, I hope you have had a similar experience. It’s easy these days for a person to write about the problems we are facing in the world. There are plenty of things about which to be angry or cynical. And I probably spent too many years early in my writing saying how things ought not to be rather than how things could be. Sure, there is a time and a place for critiquing systems and structures. I understand that. However, there is profound power in sharing your own life-changing experiences and inviting people into something richer, more vibrant, and life-giving. There is something magical in evoking a sense of joy and wonder into another’s life.

Imagine how our lives and communities would transform if, instead of tearing them down, we painted vivid pictures of what could be- inviting others to dream and share in something beautiful together. Just as my friend's curiosity was sparked by hearing my life-changing experience of a pie he had never tasted, we can inspire others to long for and contribute to a vision of generative possibility.

Question

What life-changing experiences have I had that I could share to inspire others to dream and create something beautiful?

Peace,

Brandon